Kansas State’s new football general manager, Trey Scott, apparently had one very unusual condition attached to any potential move into college football: he would only leave his previous career if former Kansas State quarterback and newly hired head coach Collin Klein came calling.
According to a recent report, Scott took the promise seriously enough to put it in writing. Before accepting the Kansas State job, he reportedly made a written agreement with his wife, Lauren, promising that he would not pursue one of the increasingly attractive general-manager positions emerging across college football unless Klein specifically contacted him about joining his staff. Remarkably, that exact scenario eventually happened, turning what started as a family promise into the story behind one of Kansas State’s most intriguing football hires.
Scott wasn’t looking to leave his career
Scott had already built an impressive résumé before returning to Manhattan. He spent approximately 11 years working in NFL personnel departments, including time with Washington and the Las Vegas Raiders, eventually rising to the position of assistant director of player personnel. He later moved into the representation side of the sports business, working with Rep 1 Sports and subsequently Excel Sports Management.
By that point, Scott and his wife had established their life away from college football. According to the report, they were living near Lauren’s family, which made the prospect of Scott suddenly uprooting everything for a college job a significant family decision.
As more universities began creating NFL-style general-manager positions to deal with the transfer portal, NIL and increasingly complicated roster-management responsibilities, Scott began receiving interest. But he wasn’t automatically interested in making the jump.
That is when the conversation with his wife apparently produced an unusual solution.
Scott told his wife that there was one coach for whom he would make an exception. Rather than leaving the decision as a verbal promise, he wrote the agreement down, signed it and gave it to her. The one name included in that agreement was Collin Klein.
Then Collin Klein got the Kansas State job
The timing could hardly have been more perfect.
Klein, a former Kansas State quarterback and one of the most recognizable players in recent Wildcats history, returned to Manhattan as the program’s head coach after serving as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator. Kansas State announced Klein’s hiring on December 4, 2025.
Just days later, the unusual promise Scott had made to his wife suddenly became relevant.
Kansas State hired Scott as its new general manager roughly a week after Klein’s appointment. The move effectively brought two former Kansas State quarterbacks back to the program this time in leadership positions responsible for rebuilding and managing the Wildcats’ football operation.
The connection between the two men, however, goes much deeper than simply having played at the same school.
Scott and Klein go way back
Scott played quarterback for Kansas State from 2007 through 2010, while Klein was also part of the Wildcats’ program. Scott served as Klein’s backup during their playing days.
Although their careers eventually went in completely different directions, their relationship remained strong.
Klein pursued coaching and eventually worked his way into major college football, while Scott entered the NFL personnel world. The two continued crossing paths during Scott’s scouting career, and their conversations reportedly often centered on player evaluation, roster construction and what NFL teams looked for when assessing talent.
That longstanding relationship appears to have been a major factor in Klein’s decision to bring Scott back to Kansas State.
When Klein needed someone to help build the Wildcats’ modern personnel operation, he already knew exactly who he wanted.
And, perhaps most importantly, Scott had already told his wife that Klein was the one coach who could persuade him to make the move.
Why Scott is so important to K-State
Scott’s arrival comes at a critical moment for college football.
The traditional role of a college football staff has changed dramatically. Coaches are now expected to manage recruiting, the transfer portal, NIL opportunities, roster retention and an increasingly complicated player-acquisition system.
That has created a growing demand for general managers with professional personnel experience.
Scott’s NFL background gives Kansas State someone who understands roster construction from a professional perspective. His responsibilities are expected to include helping oversee talent acquisition, roster management and the broader personnel operation as Klein builds his program.
That experience could prove particularly valuable for Kansas State as it attempts to remain competitive in the Big 12.
A reunion with a bigger purpose
The Scott-Klein reunion also provides an interesting contrast between their careers.
Klein was once the player leading Kansas State’s offense, while Scott was the backup quarterback waiting for his opportunities. More than a decade later, they have returned to the same program with dramatically different responsibilities.
Klein is now the head coach responsible for setting the direction of the program, while Scott is helping construct the roster and personnel infrastructure behind him.
Their familiarity could potentially make the working relationship much easier.
Klein doesn’t have to learn Scott’s personality or football philosophy from scratch, and Scott already understands the way Klein approaches the game. Their shared history gives them a foundation that would not necessarily exist between a newly hired coach and an outside personnel executive.
The funniest part of the story
The most entertaining part of the entire situation may be that Scott apparently predicted his own exception before it happened.
He wasn’t willing to leave his established career for just any college program. He and his wife essentially established a single exception: if Collin Klein called, the conversation would be different.
Then Klein got the Kansas State job.
Then Klein called.
And Scott went to Kansas State.
What could have looked like a complicated career decision suddenly became incredibly straightforward because the exact person Scott had identified as the exception was now the person in charge of the Wildcats’ football program.
What it means for Kansas State
For Wildcats fans, the story offers an entertaining glimpse into the personal relationships behind the program’s new era, but it also highlights how seriously Kansas State is approaching the modern college-football landscape.
Klein is attempting to build his program with people he trusts, and Scott gives him someone with extensive professional personnel experience. The combination of Klein’s coaching background and Scott’s NFL evaluation experience could become an important part of Kansas State’s strategy.
The Wildcats are entering an era in which recruiting alone is no longer enough. Programs must identify talent, retain their own players, navigate the transfer portal and construct competitive rosters year after year.
Having a general manager who has spent more than a decade working inside NFL personnel departments gives Kansas State a potentially valuable resource as the sport continues moving toward a more professionalized model.
And it all began with an unusually specific promise at home.
Trey Scott didn’t want to leave his established career for just any college coach. He apparently told his wife there was only one man who could change his mind and when Collin Klein called Kansas State home, Scott’s exception became reality.
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